DLP vs Plasma

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: sdifox
I am sitting about 13' away from my screen and it's 8' across (no, not diagonal)

You can never have a big enough screen!

That's great, but I actually think that is too big. And that is just my opinion mind you. Some people like to sit in the front row of the theaters, but that's just not comfortable for me.

No kidding. When watching a movie feels like a tennis match, the screen is too big.

dude, your eyes are filled 100% of the time in real life..

It's not the same. Any professional home theater installer will agree. There is such a thing as too big. You set your viewing distance first, then you match the screen size to fit it. Too big and you are trying to follow motion too much with your eyes and your head. It's tiring and uncomfortable at best, nauseating at worst.

 

[gar655]

You can get the Panasonic 720p plasma for $1299 or less- even Sears was selling it for this at one time. I have one. It has great PQ. Reviews I read put its performance nearly equal to that of the same year Pioneer 720p and better than any LCD costing twice as much.

Biggest drawback to DLP is the viewing angle both horizontal and vertical. If you're not sitting right in the middle (vertical and horizontal) the picture suffers, and they're not the brigthest either.

So, a dark room, sitting smack in the middle, they're great, otherwise get a plasma.

Gene

 

[ScottFern]

I love my plasma. No reason YOU HAVE TO GET a 1080p plasma either. I love my 50" 720p plasma. Only other TV I would buy other than a plasma would have to be either a AQUOS or Sony LCD.

 

[Muadib]

Viewing distance calculator. I find the maximum THX viewing distance fits my taste, but YMMV.

DLP's have limited viewing angle and the fear that the bulb will go out at any time, costing $300+ to replace.

Yes, the viewing angle on a DLP set is not as good as a plasma or an lcd set. But unless you like to stand up to watch tv, or have seats way off to the left or right of the set, it ain't gonna matter.

The lamp for my 2+ yo DLP cost $165. I have 2488 hours on it, and have no fear of the bulb crapping out for at least another 2 years or more. I have a friend with an older model Samsung DLP that has over 7000 hours on his first bulb. If you do a search, you will see that that is quite common.

Originally posted by: erwos

Brightness != image quality, although I should point out that most DLPs are pretty good in the brightness area, too. Some people here are working on old facts.

The reason they look washed out in the store is because the extreme vertical viewing angles aren't as good on DLPs.

I agree with you, the brightness of DLPs is not bad at all. Where DLP is behind is in sharpness. When I was at Sears, I looked at the LED DLP next to the Samsumg A650 Lcd. I couldn't believe how much more sharp the lcd was.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: Muadib
I agree with you, the brightness of DLPs is not bad at all. Where DLP is behind is in sharpness. When I was at Sears, I looked at the LED DLP next to the Samsumg A650 Lcd. I couldn't believe how much more sharp the lcd was.

I don't know if I would call it sharpness so much as "pop". LCDs and DLPs definitely have a different look to their pictures. But, IMHO, comparing in-store is a sucker's game anyways - who knows what kind of filters are turned on or off?

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: sdifox
I am sitting about 13' away from my screen and it's 8' across (no, not diagonal)

You can never have a big enough screen!

That's great, but I actually think that is too big. And that is just my opinion mind you. Some people like to sit in the front row of the theaters, but that's just not comfortable for me.

No kidding. When watching a movie feels like a tennis match, the screen is too big.

dude, your eyes are filled 100% of the time in real life..

It's not the same. Any professional home theater installer will agree. There is such a thing as too big. You set your viewing distance first, then you match the screen size to fit it. Too big and you are trying to follow motion too much with your eyes and your head. It's tiring and uncomfortable at best, nauseating at worst.

THX says I should sit 12.3 feet from a 8 foot wide 16x9. I am at 13' I think I am ok. I just figure out the tennis match reference. I am like, what about tennis match? I watch the grand slams fine. Then I realised it means sitting at the court near the net No, I don't need to turn my head or anything like that.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
It's a very rare female who will allow a large TV that isn't LCD/plasma these days. A big TV cabinet just isn't going to cut it for those who have or live with a set of ovaries.

My wife would wholeheartedly disagree with you. She doesn't mind a bit of extra depth on the TV if it means a bigger screen and better image quality.

Originally posted by: sdifox
THX says

THX is worthless in 99.9% of cases with regards to home theaters. I'm not saying you made a bad choice on where to sit, but quoting THX isn't a good reason to do very much of anything. (Not to mention that THX is _per movie_, IIRC.)

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
It's a very rare female who will allow a large TV that isn't LCD/plasma these days. A big TV cabinet just isn't going to cut it for those who have or live with a set of ovaries.

My wife would wholeheartedly disagree with you. She doesn't mind a bit of extra depth on the TV if it means a bigger screen and better image quality.

Originally posted by: sdifox
THX says

THX is worthless in 99.9% of cases with regards to home theaters. I'm not saying you made a bad choice on where to sit, but quoting THX isn't a good reason to do very much of anything. (Not to mention that THX is _per movie_, IIRC.)

well, point me to another calculator then. I just used the one Muadib posted for convenience
Projector central says recommended dist is 11-18'

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
It's a very rare female who will allow a large TV that isn't LCD/plasma these days. A big TV cabinet just isn't going to cut it for those who have or live with a set of ovaries.

My wife would wholeheartedly disagree with you. She doesn't mind a bit of extra depth on the TV if it means a bigger screen and better image quality.

Originally posted by: sdifox
THX says

THX is worthless in 99.9% of cases with regards to home theaters. I'm not saying you made a bad choice on where to sit, but quoting THX isn't a good reason to do very much of anything. (Not to mention that THX is _per movie_, IIRC.)

well, point me to another calculator then. I just used the one Muadib posted for convenience
Projector central says recommended dist is 11-18'

I wasn't clear, so I apologize. The point I was trying to make was more that THX is not really a standard that I would make use of at a first (or second) option. SMTPE is what I would have chosen, personally.

And FWIW, I'm _way_ further back than they specify, and I'm noticing that I probably should be moving my couch up a bit.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
It's a very rare female who will allow a large TV that isn't LCD/plasma these days. A big TV cabinet just isn't going to cut it for those who have or live with a set of ovaries.

My wife would wholeheartedly disagree with you. She doesn't mind a bit of extra depth on the TV if it means a bigger screen and better image quality.

Originally posted by: sdifox
THX says

THX is worthless in 99.9% of cases with regards to home theaters. I'm not saying you made a bad choice on where to sit, but quoting THX isn't a good reason to do very much of anything. (Not to mention that THX is _per movie_, IIRC.)

well, point me to another calculator then. I just used the one Muadib posted for convenience
Projector central says recommended dist is 11-18'

I wasn't clear, so I apologize. The point I was trying to make was more that THX is not really a standard that I would make use of at a first (or second) option. SMTPE is what I would have chosen, personally.

And FWIW, I'm _way_ further back than they specify, and I'm noticing that I probably should be moving my couch up a bit.

Oh yeah, I agree THX is just a set of rules and that SMTPE knows more about imaging than THX. I was just pointing out what is suitable for each person is slightly different.

I suspect me having good peripheral vision makes it easier for me to handle big screen. hell I can watch those rollercoaster footages where the camera is mounted to the front of the rollercoaster without puking. And I can't handle real coasters.

 

[AmpedSilence]

I have the Sammy 56-inch 2nd gen. LED DLP. I got it for $1188 at 6 ave electronics. It came with a free stand, too! It is freakin awesome...

This is my TV: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-...&qid=1220630673&sr=1-2

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: AmpedSilence
I have the Sammy 56-inch 2nd gen. LED DLP. I got it for $1188 at 6 ave electronics. It came with a free stand, too! It is freakin awesome...

This is my TV: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-...&qid=1220630673&sr=1-2

Excellent deal. Some of them have geometry issues, though, so just be aware that you might have a service call or two to make.

 

[Falloutboy]

I lied...when I went to get the tv I found, the new salesmen wouldn't honor the deal and to spite them I walked out....so I ended up with my original plan which was a Panasonic 50" 1080p for 980. (1099-10% for sears card) comes in a couple hours i'm stoked. was going to cost me another 300-400 bucks to get into a 60in set and then I still had to add a new stand to make it look nice. so was just going to be to pricey in the end.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: Muadib
I agree with you, the brightness of DLPs is not bad at all. Where DLP is behind is in sharpness. When I was at Sears, I looked at the LED DLP next to the Samsumg A650 Lcd. I couldn't believe how much more sharp the lcd was.

I don't know if I would call it sharpness so much as "pop". LCDs and DLPs definitely have a different look to their pictures. But, IMHO, comparing in-store is a sucker's game anyways - who knows what kind of filters are turned on or off?

Ok, but what does pop mean? The term is almost as bad as my gf telling me that her car is making a noise, and her expecting me to know the problem.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: Muadib
I agree with you, the brightness of DLPs is not bad at all. Where DLP is behind is in sharpness. When I was at Sears, I looked at the LED DLP next to the Samsumg A650 Lcd. I couldn't believe how much more sharp the lcd was.

I don't know if I would call it sharpness so much as "pop". LCDs and DLPs definitely have a different look to their pictures. But, IMHO, comparing in-store is a sucker's game anyways - who knows what kind of filters are turned on or off?

Ok, but what does pop mean? The term is almost as bad as my gf telling me that her car is making a noise, and her expecting me to know the problem.

For me "pop" is just a combination of color definition, contrast to black levels, sharpness, and brightness. The other day I was at Best Buy looking at TV's that will replace my failing plasma (1st gen LG under BB replacement plan) and there was an entire wall of LCD's with a single plasma stuck in the middle. I could pick it out of the pack. Plasma has an image second to none for movies/televison.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: Muadib
I agree with you, the brightness of DLPs is not bad at all. Where DLP is behind is in sharpness. When I was at Sears, I looked at the LED DLP next to the Samsumg A650 Lcd. I couldn't believe how much more sharp the lcd was.

I don't know if I would call it sharpness so much as "pop". LCDs and DLPs definitely have a different look to their pictures. But, IMHO, comparing in-store is a sucker's game anyways - who knows what kind of filters are turned on or off?

Ok, but what does pop mean? The term is almost as bad as my gf telling me that her car is making a noise, and her expecting me to know the problem.

For me "pop" is just a combination of color definition, contrast to black levels, sharpness, and brightness. The other day I was at Best Buy looking at TV's that will replace my failing plasma (1st gen LG under BB replacement plan) and there was an entire wall of LCD's with a single plasma stuck in the middle. I could pick it out of the pack. Plasma has an image second to none for movies/televison.

Can you find me a link that backs up this definition, or is this just your interpretation?

 

[Falloutboy]

Just got it setup, so far I love the TV, defenanetly looks bigger than it did in the store. I think 61 would of been to big

ok some pics

Before
http://i16.photobucket.com/alb...50/kampsj/HTGRTGRL.jpg

After (shitty Cell cam )
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6411/img032pm9.jpg

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Muadib

Can you find me a link that backs up this definition, or is this just your interpretation?

"Pop" is just something that is visually appealing to an individual. It catches your eye and draws your attention more than other styles/similar concepts. It can be used to describe color choices or decorating of a house, styling of a car, personal attire, television pictures, ect.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Muadib
Can you find me a link that backs up this definition, or is this just your interpretation?

For video "pop" means starkly constrasting colors, like blue/yellow, deep red/white, dark purple/yellow, orange/blue. Basically the better the color (and directly related is black level), the more "pop". The difference between colors.

 

[Muadib]

You guys are just proving my point....

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Muadib
You guys are just proving my point....

Not really, you need to understand the difference between sharpness and color/black level.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Muadib
You guys are just proving my point....

Not really, you need to understand the difference between sharpness and color/black level.

That I understand. The color between the 2 sets were close to equal. The DLP had the better black level, but not by much.

Pop, should be left to being something they drink out Chicago way.

 

[SithSolo1]

I <3 my DLP but I just replaced the bulb($350). I'd say it lasted close to 2 years with an average viewing time of 10hrs a day. At one point for about 2 months it was on almost 24hrs a day.